The Air Force continues to post strong recruiting numbers in 2010. USAF met its active duty goal in July and far exceeded the targeted accessions in its reserve components for the month, according to the Defense Department’s latest figures issued Wednesday. The active duty brought in 1,920 new accessions, meeting the goal. Meanwhile, the Air National Guard surpassed its goal of 507 accessions by 130 recruits, while the Air Force Reserve beat its target of 671 by 116 recruits. Overall, the Army, Marine Corps, and Navy also posted strong numbers. Those components that fell short of their monthly target, such as the Army National Guard and Marine Corps Reserve, did so because they intentionally slowed their accessions since they are exceeding their fiscal year goals to date. (For a comparison, see our entry on June’s figures.)
The Pentagon announced new long-term agreements with four defense companies May 13 to develop and produce large numbers of low-cost cruise missiles. And while the effort will focus mostly on the Army to start, it pairs with Air Force efforts to find more affordable munitions.